Guides for Auditors
South African Guides may be developed and issued by the IRBA to provide guidance to an auditor in meeting specific legislative requirements imposed by another Regulator. The Guides may be specific to an industry. Below is a list of Guides that are currently effective. For more information on providing assurance to specific industries, go to Regulated Industry Reports.
Access to Working Papers
| Title | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
| Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Access to Working Papers (June 2018) | May 2022 | Audits and reviews of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2022; and Other assurance and related services engagements beginning on or after 15 December 2022. |
PDF | Word |
| Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Access to Working Papers | June 2018 | Issued on 5 June 2018 | PDF | Word |
FAIS Engagements
This Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on Financial Service Providers’ Separate Accounts (Section 19(3)) and Reporting Requirements (Section 19(4)) of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act provides guidance to registered auditors (auditors) on various matters relating to the audit, limited assurance engagement and other reporting obligations for authorised financial services providers (Providers) in compliance with the requirements of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 2002, Act No. 37 of 2002 as amended (the Act), and its subordinate legislation.
FSCA FAIS Notice 48 of 2019, published by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (the FSCA) sets out the form and manner of the Section 19(3) Limited Assurance Report to be submitted by the independent auditors in terms of Section 19(3) of the Act.
Guide
| Title | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
Revised Guide (2019) for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on Financial Service Providers’ Separate Accounts (Section 19(3)) and Reporting Requirements (Section 19(4)) of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act | May 2022 | Audits and reviews of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2022; and Other assurance and related services engagements beginning on or after 15 December 2022. | PDF | Word |
Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on Financial Service Providers’ Separate Accounts (Section 19(3)) and Reporting Requirements (Section 19(4)) of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, including:
| 28 June 2019 | Effective for engagements commencing on or after 1 July 2019 | PDFPDFPDF |
Useful Links
- The Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) department of the FSCA
- FAIS– Financial Statements and Audit Requirements
Related Communiqués
- 28 June 2019 – Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on Financial Service Providers’ Separate Accounts (Section 19(3)) and Reporting Requirements (Section 19(4)) of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act
- 8 September 2008 – Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Audit Guide and Report
Fresh Produce Agents Trust Accounts
Guide
| Title | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on Fresh Produce Agents’ Trust Accounts, including:
|
11 June 2019 | Effective for year-ends ending on or after 31 December 2020 | PDF | Word |
Useful Links
Related Communiqués
Joint Audit Guide
| Title | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Joint Audit Engagements | May 2024 | For audits of financial statements for periods ending on or after 31 December 2024, with early adoption permitted. | PDF | Word |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Joint Audit Engagements | May 2022 |
|
PDF | Word |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Joint Audit Engagements | 26 August 2020 | Effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 31 December 2020 | PDF | Word |
JSE Guides
The Committee for Auditing Standards (the CFAS) has issued guides and reports to assist Registered Auditors in performing engagements related to the JSE Limited and in compliance with the JSE Limited Listings Requirements.
Guides:
- Reporting Responsibilities of the Reporting Accountant Relating to Property Entities in terms of the JSE Listings Requirements
- Reporting on Financial information contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports required by the JSE Listings Requirements
Reports:
- Reports are available here
| Title | Issued_by | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting Responsibilities of the Reporting Accountant Relating to Property Entities in terms of the JSE Listings Requirements (November 2015) | IRBA | May 2022 |
| PDF_|_WORD |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting Responsibilities of the Reporting Accountant Relating to Property Entities in terms of the JSE Listings Requirements (Updated for alignment to the IRBA Code of Professional Conduct (Revised November 2018)) | IRBA | November 2019 | PDF | Word | |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting Responsibilities of the Reporting Accountant Relating to Property Entities in terms of the JSE Listings Requirements | IRBA | November 2015 | Effective for engagements commencing on or after 1 March 2016 | PDF | Word |
Communique – 22 February 2016: Reporting Responsibilities of the Reporting Accountant Relating to Property Entities in terms of the JSE Listings Requirements
Reporting on Financial information contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports required by the JSE Listings Requirements
| Title | Issued_by | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
| Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting on Financial Information Contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports Required by the JSE Listings Requirements | IRBA | March 2017 | Effective for reports issued on or after 31 March 2017. | PDFPDFPDFP |
Warning to ReadersOn 19 June 2023, the JSE published amendments to the JSE Listings Requirements, which amongst other amendments, included amendments to financial reporting disclosures. The JSE also announced that the Financial Sector Conduct Authority published the approval of the amendments to the JSE Listings Requirements in the Government Gazette through Board Notice 450 of 2023 No. 48790, with the effective date as 17 July 2023. The JSE communicated transitional arrangements, which required the financial reporting disclosures as per amendments schedule to be applied to results ((both interim and year-end) for periods ending on or after 30 June 2023). Registered auditors are alerted to the fact that the amendments to the JSE Listings requirements have removed the need for abridged reports and deleted the requirements and definitions of preliminary and provisional reports. If this guide is used, it should be considered with the amendments to the JSE Listings Requirements. Additionally, this guide has not been updated for the IFRS Foundation® Trade Mark Guidelines. However, any reference in it to the IFRS Foundation, the IASB, the ISSB and the work of these bodies is intended to be aligned to the IFRS Foundation Trade Mark Guidelines. Furthermore, registered auditors are encouraged to adhere to the guidance issued by the IAASB when referencing IFRS Accounting Standards in their reports. | ||||
| Communique – 6 March 2017: Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting on Financial Information Contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports Required by the JSE Listings Requirements | ||||
| Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting on Financial information contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports required by the JSE Listings Requirements (Revised September 2014) | IRBA | September 2014 | Effective for an auditor’s report on an issuer’s interim, preliminary, provisional or abridged report issued on or after 30 September 2014 | PDF | Word |
Warning to ReadersRegistered auditors are alerted to the fact that this Guide has not been updated for:
Registered auditors should ensure that any report issued is in full compliance with the International Standards and the requirements of the JSE Listings Requirements. | ||||
| Communiqué 11 September 2014 – Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting on Financial Information contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports required by the JSE Listings Requirements | IRBA | 11 September 2014 | PDF | Word | |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting on Financial Information contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports required by the JSE Listings Requirements | IRBA | November 2013 | Effective for an auditor’s report on an issuer’s interim, preliminary, provisional or abridged report issued on or after 1 January 2014 | PDF | Word |
| Communiqué 3 December 2013 – Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting on Financial Information contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports required by the JSE Listings Requirements | IRBA | 3 December 2013 | PDF | Word | |
Other Related Communiqués:
- 29 November 2021 – Revised Illustrative Annual Stockbroker’s Reports Submitted to the JSE Limited in terms of the Financial Markets Act and JSE Directive DG 1.7 – Illustrative Reports 2B and 3
- 28 September 2016 – Revised Illustrative Reports Used by Registered Auditors When Reporting in Terms of the Financial Markets Act, No. 19 of 2012, and JSE Directive DG 1.7
- 01 October 2015 – Proposed Guide for Registered Auditors Reporting Responsibilities of the Reporting Accountant Related to Property Entities in Terms of the JSE Listings Requirements
- 03 December 2013 – Guide for Registered Auditors: Reporting on Financial Information contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports required by the JSE Listings Requirements
- 12 March 2013 – Reporting on Financial Information Contained in Interim, Preliminary, Provisional and Abridged Reports
- 06 September 2011 – Audit of the Subsidiaries of Listed Companies
- 29 June 2011 – Audit of the Subsidiaries of Listed Companies
Legal Practitioner Trust Accounts
Guidance is provided to registered auditors in the special circumstances applicable to engagements on legal practitioners’ trust accounts, as required by the Legal Practice Act, No. 28 of 2014 (the Act) and the South African Legal Practice Council Rules made under the authority of Sections 95(1), 95(3) and 109(2) of the Act (the Rules).
An engagement on legal practitioners trust accounts to report compliance with the Act and the Rules is a reasonable assurance engagement within the scope of International Standard on Assurance Engagement (ISAE) 3000 (Revised), Assurance Engagements Other than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information.
Guide
| Title | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Engagements on Legal Practitioners’ Trust Accounts (Revised March 2020) | May 2022 |
| PDFPDFPDF |
Guide for Registered Auditors: Engagements on Legal Practitioners’ Trust Accounts (Revised March 2020), including:
| 28 April 2020 | Effective for financial periods commencing on or after 1 March 2019 | PDF | Word |
Previous version(s) of the Guide:
| Title | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Engagements on Attorneys’ Trust Accounts (Revised 2016) | 14 March 2017 | Effective for financial periods commencing on or after 1 March 2016 | PDFPDFPDF |
Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagement Performed In Respect Of An Application By A Legal Practitioner Firm For A Refund Of Bank Charges And Audit Fees
The illustrative agreed-upon procedures report was developed by a task group of SAICA’s Legal Practitioners and Accountants Committee (LPAC). The report was approved by SAICA’s Assurance Guidance Committee.
| Title | Effective Date | Download Documents |
| Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagement Performed In Respect Of An Application By A Legal Practitioner Firm For A Refund Of Bank Charges And Audit Fees | 2 November 2023 |
Advisory / Notice issued by the Legal Practice Council
- The Legal Practice Council extends the dates for submission of trust account audit reports
- Advisory dated 17 April 2020
Notices from the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund
- Sweeping of the 5% of interest earned on Section 86(4) trust investments in terms of Section 86(5) of the Legal Practice Act
- The implementation of the remaining chapters of the Legal Practice Act No. 28 of 2014 (the Legal Practice Act), on 1 November 2018, affects all legal practitioners
- The new process for the manual payment of Sections 86(2) and (3) of the Legal Practice Act trust interest to the LPFF and related reporting templates for:
Useful Links
Related Communiqués
- 7 August 2025: An Alert on the Latest Publications from the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund
- 28 November 2023: An Alert on the Latest Publications from the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund
- 26 July 2023: An Alert on the Latest Publications from the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund
- 30 March 2021: Engagements on Legal Practitioners’ Trust Accounts
- 18 September 2020: Engagements on Legal Practitioners’ Trust Accounts
- 28 April 2020: Guide for Registered Auditors: Engagements on Legal Practitioners’ Trust Accounts (Revised March 2020)
- 19 July 2019: Illustrative Auditor’s Report for Engagements on the Compliance of the Attorneys’ Trust Accounts with the Attorneys Act and the Rules for the Attorneys’ Profession, as well as the Legal Practice Act and Legal Practice Council Rules
- 14 March 2017: Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Engagements on Attorneys’ Trust Accounts
- 14 June 2016: Revised Illustrative Engagement Letter, Representation Letter and Auditor’s Reports for Engagements on Attorneys’ Trust Accounts
- 10 June 2014: Frequently Asked Questions on the Guide for Registered Auditors: Engagements on Attorneys Trust Accounts
- 28 February 2014: Guide for Registered Auditors: Engagements on Attorneys Trust Accounts
Medical Schemes Engagements
| The Committee for Auditing Standards (the CFAS) issued the Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on the Annual Financial Statements and Annual Statutory Returns of a Medical Scheme in March 2015. The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) published the various revised prescribed auditor report templates, which are included in this Guide as appendices, on 20 July 2016, by way of Circular 49 of 2016: Prescribed auditor report templates. The reports have been amended to be aligned to the new and revised Auditor Reporting Standards, as well as other revised International Standards on Auditing (ISAs). These statutory required auditor reports have been developed by the CMS in consultation with the IRBA’s CFAS Medical Schemes Task Group, which includes auditors of medical schemes. |
Guide
| Title | Date Issued | Effective Date | Download Documents |
| Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on the Annual Financial Statements and Annual Statutory Returns of a Medical Scheme (Updated for narrow-scope amendments made to IAS 1) | June 2023 | Audits and reviews of financial statements for periods ending on or after 31 December 2023, with early adoption permitted. | PDF | Word |
| Revised Appendix 5: Reports on Financial Statements (ISA 700 (Revised) Reports) | September 2025 | Audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2024, with early adoption permitted. | PDF | Word |
| Revised Appendix 6 – Reports on Parts 4 to 10 of the Annual Statutory Return (combined ISA 800 (Revised) and ISRE 2410 Reports) | November 2025 | Audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2024. | PDF | Word |
Warning to ReadersUpdate to Appendix 5 – Auditor’s Report Templates on Financial Statements (ISA 700 (Revised) Reports) and Appendix 6 – Reports on Parts 4 to 10 of the Annual Statutory Return (combined ISA 800 (Revised) and ISRE 2410 Reports), issued outside of the Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagement on the Annual Financial Statements and Annual Statutory Returns of a Medical Scheme (Updated for narrow-scope amendments made to IAS 1). Both appendices has been updated to incorporate the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board’s Narrow Scope Amendments to ISA 700 (Revised) as a Result of the Revisions to the IESBA Code that Require a Firm to Publicly Disclose When a Firm Has Applied the Independence Requirements for Public Interest Entities (PIEs) which is effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2024. Appendix 5 also reflect changes required by the IRBA Rule on Enhanced Auditor Reporting for the Audits of Financial Statements of Public Interest Entities which was already effective for audits of financial statements for periods ending on or after 15 December 2024. |
| Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on the Annual Financial Statements and Annual Statutory Returns of a Medical Scheme (Updated for alignment to the IRBA Code of Professional Conduct | May 2022 |
| PDFPDFPDF_ |
| Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on the Annual Financial Statements and Annual Statutory Returns of a Medical Scheme (Updated for alignment to the IRBA Code of Professional Conduct (Revised November 2018)) | 27 November 2019 | PDF | Word | |
| Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on the Annual Financial Statements and Annual Statutory Returns of a Medical Scheme | 06 December 2018 | Effective for engagements on accounting periods ending on or after 31 December 2018 | PDF | Word |
| Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on the Annual Financial Statements and Annual Statutory Returns of a Medical Scheme | 29 July 2016 | Effective for engagements on accounting periods ending on or after 31 December 2016 | PDF_|_Word |
Warning to ReadersRegistered auditors are alerted to the fact that this Guide has not been updated for:
|
Reports
The revised reports are included in this Guide as appendices. For ease of reference the reports are listed here, as published by the CMS. These reports are effective for year-ends of medical schemes on and after 31 December 2016.
ISA 700 (Revised) auditor report template
Section 37(2) of the Medical Schemes Act of South Africa (the Act) requires an auditor to report on a medical scheme’s annual financial statements (AFS). Circular 65 of 2015 requires the auditors of medical schemes in terms of Section 36(5)(d) and 37(2) of the Act to report on Key Audit Matters.
The ISA 700 (Revised) report provides reasonable assurance that the AFS are fairly presented, in all material respects, in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards and the requirements of the Medical Schemes Act.
All non-compliance matters, which are considered to be material by an auditor, should be reported under the sub-heading “Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements”. Where no material instances of non-compliance have come to an auditor’s attention, a statement to this effect should be made.
ISA 800 (Revised) and ISRE 2410 combined auditor report template (Part 3A to the 2015 Annual Statutory Return)
This auditor report provides assurance through an audit of Parts 4 to 6.1 and 6.3 to 10 of the Annual Statutory Return (the Return), and a review of Part 6.2 of the Return of a scheme. The ISA 800 (Revised) opinion provides reasonable assurance that Parts 4 to 6.1 and 6.3 to 10 of the Return are prepared in all material respects in accordance with the Act, related Regulations, the Guidance Manual for the completion of the Return and the applicable Circulars issued by the CMS.
The ISRE 2410 conclusion provides limited assurance that Part 6.2 of the Return is prepared in all material respects in accordance with the Act, related Regulations, the Guidance Manual for the completion of the Return and the applicable Circulars issued by the CMS.
This report originates from the following sections in the Act:
- Section 36(8), which states that the auditor should certify whether any return or statement which he or she is required to examine in terms of Chapter 7 (Financial Matters) of the Act, complies with the requirements of the Act and whether it presents fairly the matters dealt with therein, as if such return or statement were a financial statement;
- Section 37(2), which inter alia states that the AFS shall consist of “(e) such other returns as the Registrar may require”, which in this case is the Return;
- As the Return is deemed to be part of the AFS, it is required to be audited in terms of Section 37(3); and
- Section 39(3), which requires all documents that are submitted to be audited.
The auditor report is restricted to the financial information contained in Parts 4 – 10 of the Return.
ISAE 3000 (Revised) auditor report template (Part 3B to the 2015 Annual Statutory Return)
This auditor report is the format in which the CMS requires an auditor to report on all non-compliance matters by a medical scheme which have come to an auditor’s attention during the performance of the auditor’s functions as an auditor, as required by Sections 36(5)(b) and 36(8)(b) of the Act.
These sections are limited to the financial aspects of the Act which an auditor will address in the auditor’s normal audit procedures. It should be noted that for purposes of this auditor report, materiality is set as one, as all non-compliance matters need to be reported to the CMS.
ISA 810 (Revised) auditor report template
Useful Links
Related Communiques
- 23 May 2024: Council for Medical Schemes Publication that Impacts Auditor’s Reports
- 06 December 2018: Revised Guide for Registered Auditors: Assurance Engagements on the Annual Financial Statements and Annual Statutory Returns of a Medical Scheme
- 15 August 2016: Prescribed Auditor Reports for Medical Schemes